The exhibition Uncharted is less about geographical
conquest than about metaphysical exploration. As part of a
larger schedule of events called Hudson 400, the exhibition
presents the disparate work of 10 artists who “propose an
imagined world of discovery and adventure that often parallels
the artistic process itself.” Despite the overarching theme,
the show is more a loose affiliation of works that at times
relate to one another, but overall don’t have a whole lot
in common.

There is, however, an interesting relationship between Olaf
Breuning’s Home 2 and Adam Frelin’s Diviner.
While on different floors, the two pieces have some similarities
and incidentally, though clearly not intentionally, the audio
from one often bleeds into the other. Both works involve narratives
that revolve around an individual character who affects and
responds to his immediate environment. Both narratives blur
fact and fiction, and in both the main character is mentally
challenged, one by disability and the other by cluelessness
and indifference.

In Breuning’s video, which seemed far more amusing in the
context of the Whitney biennial, an annoying dolt wanders
the globe acting out the role of an obnoxious tourist. On
second viewing, it is the polite, perplexed, bemused, and
occasionally belligerent behavior of those around him that
proves more interesting than watching his antics. This character
is even less compelling when compared with Frelin’s protagonist,
Joe York. Frelin builds a story around York using props, photographs,
and video. By considering each of the elements of the installation,
the viewer can piece together a drama about faith, obsession,
and extreme weather. Breuning and Frelin both use a faux documentary
style that blurs truth, fiction, and happenstance.

In Overseas (Fireplace with Harpoons), Valerie Hegarty
also uses props to construct a narrative. But here it is less
a story than a statement. A seascape painting, which has been
pierced by a harpoon, appears to bleed seawater and grime
onto the fireplace and mantel below. The violent history of
the maritime experience has infiltrated this domestic interior.
Radcliffe Bailey and David Herbert also make reference to
the ocean and its bloody history. Bailey’s Door of No Return
II references the trans-Atlantic slave trade and Gorée
Island, while Garvey’s Ghost is a steamship that alludes
to the back-to-Africa movement of the 1920s. Herbert’s modified
replica of the U.S.S. Constitution, built specifically for
this exhibition, is crewed by a team of Uncle Scrooge ducks.
Scrooge McDuck is a perfect symbol of American capitalism
and imperialism and here embodies the pursuit of wealth that
fueled many a seafaring venture.

The violent and turbulent undertones of much of the above-mentioned
work is also apparent in other pieces in the exhibition. Although
Matt Leines’ abstract figures are bright and cartoony, they
are no less foreboding. They line the wall like so many portraits
of generals, with their medals and pins suggestive of invasion
and conquest. Mark Essen’s piece Flywrench is a video
game that actually places the viewer at the controls of a
failed mission. The work is both frustrating and mesmerizing
as players repeatedly try to advance from one quixotic level
to another. Like Essen’s piece, Cameron Martin’s alluring
yet unnerving images of mountains and outcroppings evoke the
drive to pursue a dangerous quest despite the odds.

Whereas Martin’s paintings are unpeopled, Anna Conway’s often
contain human figures that are diminutive and menaced by their
surroundings. In one, a man sweeps a high-walled courtyard
while looking nervously overhead as a giant deflated hot air
balloon bears down on him. In Somebody Call Someone,
a torrent of water rages through an arena as workmen attempt
to control or manipulate it. Conway’s elusive and surreal
narratives speak to the anxiety of dreams. They are not unlike
the vignettes in Emre Hüner’s Panoptikon. This short
animated film contains images that are vaguely reminiscent.
They flicker across the screen as if somewhere between Eden
and the End Times. There is violence, death, and war but also
beauty and science and enlightenment.

In the spirit of discovery, this exhibition considers the
topic from a variety of perspectives. Just as every great
explorer has a different style and approach, so too do each
of these artists. They observe, evoke, embellish, and enlighten
so that we can learn something new about ourselves and our
environment.